The Department of National Defence (DND; french: Ministère de la Défense nationale) is the department of the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

which supports the Canadian Armed Forces in its role of defending Canadian national interests domestically and internationally. The department is a civilian organization, part of the

public service A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...

, and supports the armed forces; however, as a civilian organization is separate and not part of the military itself. National Defence is the largest department of the Government of Canada in terms of budget, and it is the department with the largest number of buildings (6,806 in 2015). The department is responsible to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

through the minister of national defence

Anita Anand Anita Anand (born May 20, 1967) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who serves as the minister of national defence since 2021. She has represented the riding of Oakville in the House of Commons since the 2019 federal election, sitting as ...

. The deputy minister of National Defence, the senior most civil servant within the department, is responsible for the day-to-day leadership and operations of the department and reports directly to the minister. The department exists to aid the minister in carrying out their responsibilities within the Defence Portfolio and provides a civilian support system for the Canadian Armed Forces. Under the '' National Defence Act'', the Canadian Armed Forces is a completely separate and distinct organization from, and is not part of, the Department of National Defence.

History

The Department of National Defence was established by the ''National Defence Act'', which merged the

Department of Militia and Defence The Department of Militia and Defence was the department responsible for military land forces in Canada from 1906 to 1921. The Minister of Militia and Defence was in charge of this department. The department was created in 1906 when the Brit ...

(which was created in 1906 when the British Army withdrew its forces stationed in Canada), the

Department of Naval Services Department of Naval Services (Canada) was the department responsible for the naval services in Canada during the transition from the Royal Navy to the Royal Canadian Navy from 1910 to 1923. The department came into existence in May 1910 with the p ...

(the department responsible for the administration of the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

), and the Air Board (which oversaw aviation in Canada). The ''National Defence Act'' was passed by the Parliament of Canada on June 28, 1922.

Organization

Both the Canadian Armed Forces (military) and the Department of National Defence (civilian public servants) are, although two separate organizations, known collectively as the 'Defence Team' as both institutions work closely together in the defence of Canada. The minister of national defence, as the Cabinet minister responsible to Parliament for National Defence, heads the Defence Team.

Deputy Minister

The Department of National Defence is led by the Deputy Minister of National Defence, currently, Bill Matthews. The Deputy Minister is chosen by the cabinet through the recommendation of the Prime Minister at that time. The Deputy Minister will stay in their position regardless of whether the cabinet or Prime Minister has changed.

Deputy Minister's Office

The Deputy Minister has a varying amount of Assistant Deputy Minister's (referred to as ADM's), Chief's, and Associates that over see various tasks within the department ranging from Material Acquisition to Information Management to Public Affairs. There are 3 other office's that operate under the Deputy Minister which are DND/CF Legal Advisors, National Security and Intelligence Review and oversight Coordination Secretariat, and the Chief of Defence intelligence.

Associate Deputy Minister

The associate Deputy Minister has no set role description. They are to take over the files and tasks the Deputy Minister gives them. The position is currently held by

Stefanie Beck Stefanie Beck is a Canadian public servant and diplomat. She has been serving as the Associate Deputy Minister of National Defence since January 31, 2022. She was previously Deputy High Commissioner for Canada to the United Kingdom. Life and ca ...

Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs)

The Assistant Deputy Minister (Public affairs), referred to as ADM(PA), oversee communications related tasks such as advice and guidance in relation to Canada's defences. The position is currently held by

Taylor Paxton Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Pl ...

, who reports directly to the Deputy Minister.

Assistant Deputy Minister (Defence Research and Development Canada)

The Assistant Deputy Minister (Defence Research and Development Canada), referred to as ADM(DRDC), oversees the department's scientific and technological advancements and provides sound technological advice on Canada's defence systems. No name is currently assigned to this position. The ADM(DRDC) reports directly to the Deputy Minister.

Assistant Deputy Minister (Information Management)

The Assistant Deputy Minister (Information Management) recently changed their name to Chief Information Officer, referred to as CIO. The CIO group oversees the management of key information and intelligence for Canada's defence and cyber operations for DND and CAF. The position is currently held by

Leonard (Len) Bastien Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate from the Old High German ''Leonhard'' containing the prefix ''levon'' ("lion") from the Greek Λέων ("lion") through the Latin '' L ...

, who is also the department's Defence Champion for Persons with Disabilities. The CIO reports directly to the Deputy Minister.

Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services)

The Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services), referred to as ADM(RS), oversees changes and reviews requested policies and promote improvements to Canadian operations at home and abroad. The position is currently held by

Julie Charron Julie may refer to: * Julie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Julie'' (1956 film), an American film noir starring Doris Day * ''Julie'' (1975 film), a Hindi film by K. S. Sethumadhava ...

, who reports directly to the Deputy Minister.

Assistant Deputy Minister (Data, Innovation, and Analytics)

The Assistant Deputy Minister (Data, Innovation, and Analytics), referred to as ADM(DIA), oversees data decision taken by the department as well as overseeing its integration into the department and analytics. The position is currently held by Stephen Burt, who reports directly to the Deputy Minister.

Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy)

The Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy), referred to as ADM(POL), oversees defence policy proceedings, developments, and support for the department and the Canadian Armed Forces. The position has been held by Peter Hammerschmidt since 2017 and he reports directly to the Minister of National Defence.

Assistant Deputy Minister (Finance)

The Assistant Deputy Minister (Finance), referred to as ADM(FIN) or Chief Financial Officer, oversees all financial dealings within the department including but not limited to financial management, budget approvals, financial reallocation, and financial support. The position has been held by Cheri Crosby since 2019 and she reports directly to the Minister of National Defence.

Assistant Deputy Minister (Material)

The Assistant Deputy Minister (Material), referred to as ADM(MAT), oversees all Material acquisitions and service that are needed by the department or Canadian Armed Forces. The position has been held by Troy Crosby since 2019 and he reports directly to the Minister of National Defence.

Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure & Environment)

The Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure & Environment), referred to as ADM(IE), oversees real estates acquisitions and needs for the Canadian Armed Forces as well as property management, infrastructure and environmental needs related to the department. The position has been held by Rob Chambers since 2019 and reports directly to the Minister of National Defence.

Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources - Civilian)

The Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources - Civilian), referred to as ADM(HR-Civ), oversees all the human resources needs of the Defence Teams civilian members which includes but is not limited to recruitment, retention strategies, employment offers, and staffing policies. The position has been held by Isabelle Desmartis since 2016 and reports directly to the Minister of National Defence. The Canadian Armed Forces is a separate and distinct military organization which works closely with, but is not a part of, the civilian department. The military comprises a variety of commands including the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

and

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

, and is led by the chief of the defence staff, who is under the direction of the minister of national defence. There are also a variety of offices and support organizations which report to both the chief of defence staff and the deputy minister. The legal military

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...

within the Canadian Forces originates from the

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

, represented by the

governor general Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

, who is commander-in-chief. The appointment of the minister, deputy minister, chief of the defence staff and the granting of all commissions in the Canadian Forces are made on behalf of the king.

Defence Portfolio

One of the roles of the Department of National Defence is to support the minister of national defence in the administration of the 'Defence Portfolio', which comprises the Canadian Armed Forces, the

Communications Security Establishment The Communications Security Establishment (CSE; french: Centre de la sécurité des télécommunications, ''CST''), formerly (from 2008-2014) called the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC), is the Government of Canada's national ...

Defence Research and Development Canada Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC; french: Recherche et développement pour la défense Canada, ''RDDC'') is a special operating agency of the Department of National Defence (DND), whose purpose is to provide the Canadian Armed Forces ...

, and the Department of National Defence. These organizations are responsible to the minister. The department is not responsible for all of these organizations itself but rather exists to support the minister in carrying out the minister's duties within the Defence Portfolio. The post of

associate minister of national defence The associate minister of national defence () is a member of the Canadian cabinet who is responsible for various files within the defence department as assigned by the prime minister or defence minister. The position was created in 1940 during ...

, who is also a member of the Cabinet, also exists and takes on files as assigned by the minister of national defence. Since forming government in 2015, Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

has assigned the post of associate minister as an additional role of the minister of veterans affairs, who heads

Veterans Affairs Canada Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC; french: Anciens Combattants Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada with responsibility for pensions, benefits and services for war veterans, retired and still-serving members of the Canadian Arme ...

, another department outside the Defence Portfolio.

References

External links

*
Archival papers held at University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Department Of National Defence (Canada) Federal departments and agencies of Canada Military of Canada

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Ministries established in 1923 1923 establishments in Canada